Morocco continues arbitrary expulsions of international observers

Over the last few years the number of international independent human rights observers that Morocco has expelled from the Occupied Territories of Western Sahara has been rapidly increasing. Adala UK and the Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara have reported on this a number of times recently. Adala UK reports that the number of observers expelled in 2017 was 76.

Most recently, on 12 February 2018, the two French lawyers representing the Gdeim Izik Group of political prisoners were expelled from Morocco and prevented from visiting their clients in Moroccan prisons.

Adala UK notes: Limiting who enters the occupied zones of Western Sahara is not a new tactic by Morocco. Over the last few years there has been a systematic denial of entry to activists, lawyers and others who support the self-determination of the Saharawi people…This is a flagrant attempt on the part of Morocco to prevent legitimate investigation into human rights and to silence criticism of the situation in which political prisoners particularly and the Saharawi people more broadly are living.

The question: What has Morocco got to hide?

The answer: Serious human rights violations against the Saharawis

The solution: A human rights monitoring mandate for MINURSO.

And here’s what you can do: write to members of the Security Council to urge them to include a human rights monitoring mandate in the renewal of MINURSO in April 2018.